Tag: Nibbs Carter

Saxon is just about to release their 20th studio album (gasp!), Sacrifice on the world on Tuesday. How does their latest effort Sacrifice stand up? In my opinion, Sacrifice is better than the last couple of releases, Call to Arms and Into the Labyrinth. It is heavier, grittier and delivers a lot more punch than the previous two albums. Byford’s vocals are still in fine form. Even at the ripe young age of 62, Byford is still delivering some of the best vocals in heavy metal. I can’t say enough about the guitar work of Paul Quinn and Doug Scarratt either. There are plenty of solos and heavy riffs to feast your ears on.

After the brief instrumental opener “Procession”, Sacrifice really doesn’t let up at all. If the title track “Sacrifice” doesn’t get your blood pumping, your stereo might be broken. The pounding rhythms don’t end with “Sacrifice”. In fact, there isn’t a slow moment on the album.

If NASCAR was smart, they would use “Warriors of the Road” as a theme song. Byford lets his fondness of auto racing flow into this song with the sound effects from the high speed whine of some open wheel race cars. Much like those race cars, the throttle is wide open on “Warriors of the Road”. This high octane rocker is going to be staple in Saxon’s live set without a doubt.

Another favorite song on Sacrifice is “Stand Up And Fight”. This is a great metal anthem, with a simple, yet powerful message.

If Sacrifice falls short anywhere, it is the overall length of the album, which is a little on the short side. I will take 40 minutes of quality heavy metal over sixty minutes of crap rock any day of the week though, so this isn’t a problem for me. Sacrifice might not stand up to the classic albums, Denim & Leather, or Wheels of Steel, but it is definitely one of the better Saxon albums in the last 10 years or so. It is solid all the way through, and worth your hard earned dollars.

Fans of classic metal and Saxon fans are going to love this! Recommended!

Rating: Out of 10

Track Listing:
01. Procession
02. Sacrifice
03. Made In Belfast
04. Warriors of the Road
05. Guardians of the Tomb
06. Stand Up and Fight
07. Walking The Steel
08. Night of the Wolf
09. Wheels of Terror
10. Standing In A Queue

When I received the news of a new Saxon CD coming out last fall, I put “Into the Labyrinth” onto my must purchase list of 2009. Saxon’s last album”The Inner Sanctum” was one of my favorites of 2007. Needless to say, I have been anxiously awaiting this CD.

“Into the Labyrinth” has everything I would expect from a Saxon release. It has a good balance of power and classic heavy metal. Biff Byford and company do not reinvent the wheel with this release, and quite frankly, I wouldn’t want them too. Saxon’s sound hasn’t changed much over the years, and I am grateful that they can still put out a heavy metal album of this caliber.

Saxon has always managed to create some huge stadium anthems that always hit home with me. On Inner Sanctum, there was “Need For Speed” and “I’ve Got To Rock To Stay Alive”. On Into the Labyrinth Saxon has created some new treasures with the songs and “Live To Rock” and “Slow Lane Blues”. The fun doesn’t stop there though. “Into the Labyrinth” is full of headbanging good tunes that are likable on the first listen.

Saxon blasts out the quality metal with cool songs like “Battalions of Steel”, “Demon Sweeney Todd”, “Valley of the Kings” and “Crimes of Passion”. Paul Quinn shreds like crazy on this disc, and Nigel Glockler’s drum work shines on this album. He proves to be a very under rated drummer. Why don’t we hear more about this guy? Biff Byford is one of those great metal singers who’s voice has aged well. He hasn’t lost much if anything off of his voice, and sounds great once more.

These stalwarts from the NWOBHM have released the best new metal CD of 2009 so far. If you have been a Saxon fan in the past, this CD will not disappoint you. I believe Saxon has topped their last CD, “The Inner Sanctum”. Like a fine wine, this band only seems to get better with age. I can’t wait to see these guys at the Rock Gone Wild festival in 2009!